Transparent green spider

A jumping spider

In the forests of Papua New Guinea it is thought that there are thousands of plants and animals which have never been seen by human eyes.

Recently a new kind of spider was discovered, a green jumping spider. In fact it is so new to humans that it doesn’t yet have a name. It is thought to belong to the Orthrus group of jumping spiders. There were only 4 species in this group, now we have 5.

I guess I’m a few years late? I’m in the Mojave desert. CA .Summer time it gets to be around 115′. I just saw on for the first time startled me when I pulled out my lawn chair so I smacked it with a fly swatter, after some investigating I came across this. This was the most info I could find on the little neon green guy! ANYWAYS ….translucent neon green spider here in the desert! 2015!!

I saw a spider that somehow looked very similar to this, I spotted it yesterday while climbing a tree in a small forest in Michigan, and I had wondered if it was poisonous, it was on a spider web connected to 2 tree branches, it looked as if was asleep, just laying there. Is it poisonous???

It’s impossible for me to say but I very much doubt that your spider is the same species as the one in the picture, which was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea. However it may be in the same Orthrus family of jumping spiders.
All you need to do for some more information is to click the link in the post to see what Wiki has to say about Orthrus spiders.

It may well be from the same family of jumping spiders as the one in the photo above. There have been so many reports of these green spiders on car windows. Is there something about a car window that attracts these spiders, or is it just that a car window is a very common thing for us to look at, or rather through?

Thanks for the comment.
The green spider in the photo above is a very rare species, only found in Papua New Guinea, so it almost certainly isn’t exactly the same as you saw.
However there have been an incredible number of sightings of a very similar green spider in many parts of the US, and this species may well be a relation.

I’m in Bradenton Florida and one of these was just on my husbands back! He was wearing a white shirt so it really stuck out. As i told him a spider was on his back and he was standing up to walk away from our newborn and fling off his shirt it jumped off! Needless too say after.checking each of us and our kids we left the park and Came home lol

What a story Manda! That must have come as quite a shock.
Although I doubt that your spider was exactly the same as in the photo (which is only found in Papua New Guinea), it may well be from the same family of jumping spiders.

I think this spider is the same. Kind as the one that attacked my wife. She walked under the garage door and it dropped down like it was trying to ambush her then on the ground it started hopping around like it was on a trampoline. Very wierd never seen this before . This spider looked like the picture and was aggressive. Is this spider venomous?

It’s impossible for me to say but I very much doubt that your spider is the same species as the one in the picture, which was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea. However it may be in the same Orthrus family of jumping spiders.
All you need to do for some more information is to click the link in the post to see what Wiki has to say about Orthrus spiders.

It’s impossible for me to say but I very much doubt that your spiders are the same species as the one in the picture, which was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea. However they may be in the same Orthrus family of jumping spiders.
All you need to do for some more information is to click the link in the post to see what Wiki has to say about Orthrus spiders.

The picture of the spider above looks mighty similar to the tiny neon green spiders that live in my car [south florida]. I always find thin, hair like, strands of web here and there throughout my car. Every now and then one of the lime green spiders would appear; on my dashboard, outside on the window, or on the roof of my car. They seem to come out more in the evening. They haven’t bothered me yet, but I am very curious to know more about it. It looks to just be a small bright green spider with red/black/brown small dots on its forehead.

Thanks Jenna, I don’t know what it is about this spider and cars, but they seem to love them.
It’s impossible to say but I very much doubt that your spiders are the same species as the one in the picture, which was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea. However they may be in the same Orthrus family of jumping spiders.
All you need to do for some more information is to click the link in the post to see what Wiki has to say about Orthrus spiders.

I live all the way in Guatemala and took a few pictures of this green spider they are identical to the picture in the web. These spiders appeared recently in my house and I found a nest from which came out about 15 of them running like crazy. I would like to know if it is poisonous. Atleast now I know where jumping spider came from because these spiders were jumping all over the place.

I see these little neon green spiders in the evening often, usually on the cars. It has bright orange on the eyes…What is the name please? Do you have a link with more info on the species? Is it in fact a jumping spider? I live in SE Louisiana.

It may well be a kind of jumping spider, but there are 5,000 species, so please check the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider
The one in the photo belongs to the Orthus genus of jumping spiders and the link can be found in the main text above.

I found this spider on the inside of my windshield while driving on the highway in South Florida and nearly wrecked! It’s a fast mover and insisted on remaining directly in front of my face, at eye-level, just staring at me… My heart was beating to fast! I was scared it was going to jump on me, but I made it to work unharmed. Can’t say the same for the poor little guy…

it’s impossible for me to say whether this is the exact same species, but it sounds like it is a member of the family of jumping spiders, and you can follow this Wiki link to get more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider

It’s impossible to say from a photo, but it is highly unlikely that it is the same species. Nevertheless it is a striking resemblance, isn’t it? Great spot Emily!
Ecuador, like Papua New Guinea, is renowned for its biodiversity, and as you say it is a beautiful creature.

Interesting, ive seen a white/green spider kinda see through-ish all the time where i live (South Fla) they’re mostly seen on my car which is weird. the spider doesnt look like the one in the picture though. the ones i see are a different shade of light green. the one in the picture is too brightly green. however i was wondering if the ones that i see crawling around on my car, if they’re poisonous or not and also what type of spider it is because ive been seeing that type of spider for over a year now, but before that ive never seen one like it.

Amy , thanks for your information, I really don’t know what it is about these spiders and cars.
Regarding your spider, without seeing it I can’t really give any robust information, but it may well be a member of the jumping spider family which you can read all about here on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spiders

Received this mail today, thought it might be of interest (for privacy reasons I have not included the name of the sender, but thanks anyway).
Message: Hi, I’m in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane, Qld (where all the floods have been) and I just saw this spider! The thing that got me, it Looked! at me! It watched me. I’m not into bugs but had to see what it was and it must be the same one, although the belly had a white/cream tinge to it, otherwise exactly the same. Wish I’d taken a photo! And no, it was not in my car (what is it with that?!!). Was on our back steps.
And then I received a second mail.
Message: Hi, I kept looking re the spider and am sure it’s a mopsus mormon (something like that). Never seen one before! Anyway, thanks for letting me voice. Regards.
I also reckon it must be a mopsus mormon, great researching!

There is a spider like this living in my car. My car is red and brown. No green in sight. I noticed that it had rapid movements like a jumping spider but I had never seen a spider such as this. It also had black dots that seem to morph onto its body and disappear. Three on it’s torso and one on its head.

There is one that i just noticed living in my car and there is no green in the car. Is it poisonous? It’s body also seems to morph different colors. The black dots disappear and there was a yellowish dot that appeared on its head as well as three black dots along its back end that seem to flash. It also seemed to make quick movements as a jumping spider normally does.

I’d like to say that I’ve been looking for this spider again for a very long time. About 6 years ago in NJ, behind my house. I found one of these small spider crawling up the side of a tree. It was roughly half an inch in size, and an almost translucent green. With no other visual distinctions. This is the first place I’v found with a picture that is identical to the one I found.

wow! i believe i saw this exact same spider! but it was a baby… i have a picture of it on my camera still! but this was on a beach!.. it was on my leg.. and i was so fascinated by it that i just let it walk up my leg unto my towel.. u know.. trying not to make any sudden movements.. I’ve been looking for the spider i saw for a little while now.. and so far this is the closest…

Found one of these neon green spiders in my yard about 2 weeks ago (just outside of Kerrville TX) was the most beautiful spider I’ve ever seen. I shooed it away thinking something that bright must definitely be poisonous. I wasn’t about to touch it. I was amazed at how green it was. It looked like jade with glass legs. and it glowed.

I am definitely surprised at the wide area of sightings for this spider to suddenly start appearing in the US all the way from New Guinea. Does anyone know how it got here and why it is spreading so quickly? I would suspect it came over in some sort of shipment, such as hiding in a box or shipping container.

I was really disappointed with your comment to the person asking if they should take it to someone who could study it. All you could answer was “release it, because it’s not endangered”? Seriously? The question is not whether it is endangered. It’s a new spider species that is obviously prolific. I sure a heck would love for some bug scientist to analyze it and any venom it may have. I will certainly catch it the next time I see it and turn it in for studying. I suggest others do as well.

I guess it was just my love for nature that influenced me to make such a reply as ‘release it’, coupled with my mistrust for some scientists.

However on reflection you are probably quite right, and we should analyze this creature. I wish you well in capturing one, but please let it be studied by a ‘good’ scientist who will respect the little fella.

I was walking through my vegetable garden today and found three of these green translucent spiders on top of the leaves of some of my plants – basil, jalepeno pepper and celery. I’ve never seen these before and they’re so green they match the leaf coloring really well. Are they poisonous or dangerous? They were all three just sitting elevated on the plants in direct sunlight so I didn’t bother them and thought I would look them up (judging by this site I’m not the only one). I’m in Ventura County, Southern California – are they rare here?

Sara, we have had no-one report that this spider is poisonous, but there have been a couple of reports (which you can read below) telling us that it packs rather a nasty bite, so please take care.
You are the first to report a sighting in Southern California.

I was just playing outside with my little brothers and sister outside and they were like “woah! a green spider” i didn’t see it because it was in the grass so it was hiding. But they tried picked it up and it just ran and jumped away from us haha. Then i finally caught it for them and we put it in a cup and just looked at it for a while.

Walked into a web… this exact spider landed on my knee! in Virginia. definitely had the translucent look to it. I made a embarrassing public display when I tried to get it off of me in front of a mexican restaurant. Scared me to death!!

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This little guy was in my car this morning. He was on my steering wheel and very calm. After a few photos, I lured him onto a piece of paper and transported him to the grass. Great coloring, it seems that they can handle extreme heat conditions (closed car in Florida can be very hot).

Wow, it is a jumper. Sitting at Starbucks yesterday and I felt it land on my arm. Knocked it off, then killed it. Never havc I seen a green spider before. I’m in Kerrville, TX (near San Antonio). It wasn’t very big either. Surprised I even felt it land.

Strange. I saw a similar spider during a school trip in Sabah, Malaysia, only the stomach (is it a stomach?) is not as big, but rather…bottle-shaped. Ok, thin. but everything else is roughly the same. Could it be a different kind? Oh, it was tiny in size.

I’m surprised that many of you got bitten. The one I found was tame, and I’m glad it was. I actually think of spiders as cute but also creepy. Thanks for the photograph as well; I tried to take some but couldn’t get as close. Now I can prove to my friend that it is indeed a spider, not a bug!

HI! Caught one of these in my home a couple of weeks ago. I have never seen a green spider. So, we caught it and were trying to feed it to see how big it got or how it changed (just curious). Glad to see your pic – ours looks just like it! We are in Seattle. Apparently it does not like what we are offering though – does not want to eat! Very cool looking spider………….

I just saw this exact spider in Plano/Dallas area. I have a disturbing bite on my arm that I assumed was a spider bite and then I saw this green spider this morning on the gate handle that I go through frequently. I am betting this is the spider that bite me.

Thanks Stephen, it’s good to know that we don’t have an endangered species here judging by the number that have been splatted over the last few months. And it is probably a very wise decision to avoid these critturs.

i saw one yesterday in my car on the door.. indianapolis, IN. I never seen a spider like that before specially greenish… i had to obseve it closely but i had to kill it cause i dont like spiders! and i dont want it to bite me… ewww

this same freaking spider bit my son last monday, not a nice bite it was & we live in Alexandria, Virginia. my son was suffering with bad itching, swelling & pain, until 3 days later, it burst & lots of liquid came out, we have been applying alcohol, benadryl cream, & benadryl by mouth, finally 10 days later, its starting to clear up, it came right out of a tree onto my sons leg & instantly bit him.. swelling instantly came up within 24 hours

I found one today in my car. I killed it. It was scary! I’ve never seen a green spider before, had to look it up as soon as i got home. If it bites are there any side affects? I didn’t get bitten but just want to be assured for the next time.

Hi, I saw a spider that looked just like the ones you are talking about hanging around on a wall in my bedroom. It freaked me out so I tried to kill it. It must have jumped ontop of the television and I found it later and killed it. Spiders are so scary!!!!

i jus saw a spider tha looked exactly like this, it had an enlongated back, pointing slightly upwards.. it was on a black car, and the sun was shiningon it, so it appeared to be glowing, almost.. neon green.. i am, no joke, in fairbanks alaska

Just Saw this spider in my car. I was screaming like hell because I never seen a green spider. I screamed even more when it jumped. Ugh. My friend hopefully killed it. It moved too fast! I’m still paranoid in my car!

Found one of these yesterday on my husbands red car…it was a shocker to see a green spider and I caught it to look at it closer. Strange looking to say the least! It shed its exoskeleton/skin last night too. I had been doing yard work so it could have been on on the palms I had just brought into the garage, although I noticed other people mention they found this guy on their cars too….weird. Located in SW Orlando.

Firstly sorry to hear about your lavender, they are devilishly difficult to maintain.
As for the green spider, I must say they do look exceedingly creepy, but in an elegant kind of way!?
Thanks for the sighting Krista, that’s our first in Georgia.

I saw this exact spider on my windshield today. I am in Birmingham, AL. When I opened my car door, the spider “jumped” into my vehicle and I almost killed myself getting out of the way! I couldn’t catch it – it was a quick little monster! LOL

The spider in this photo is a very rare one from Papua New Guinea, so I guess it is a different variety from the one in your garden, Chew.
Nevertheless it is very interesting to hear that you have such a beautiful spider in your garden.

In spring of 2008, I saw some spiders in Canby Oregon that I could not identify. With two of the spiders, the proportions of the legs and body size of were an exact match with the black widow, only they were red-violet instead of black. Their color was monotone with no markings, they were very shiny. I found out that there are brown house spiders(poisonous but not lethal) that are closely related to black widows, but nothing about any species with a red-violet monotone coloration. I think they may be a new species, but I do not know who to contact about it. Later that summer, while catching bugs for my fish, I accidentally squished a brown spider when picking it up, and it had red guts ! I turned over more rocks and found a bunch more with red guts. Now, one may say they probably just ate a bunch of mosquitos, but these spiders build their webs under rocks, and never seem to venture out, and they live in a dry area where there are no worms in the soil. Does anybody have a clue what these little critters are?

Found a spider that is either the same or very similar this morning sitting on a plastic telephone post in our estate in Winterville, North Carolina. I had never seen a green spider before, so googled, and yours is the best match!